The invention relates to improvements in assemblies for movably securing doors, partitions or like parts to overhead frames, walls or other supports. More particularly, the invention relates to improvements in assemblies which can be utilized with advantage to movably suspend door panels or like parts in door frames, from ceilings or from like supports.
It is well known to mount a door panel for reciprocatory (rather than pivotal) movement in a kitchen cabinet, in a filing cabinet, in a door frame, in a built-in closet or the like. As a rule, a guide rail is recessed into or embedded in a support (such as a plate, wall, frame member or the like) above the opening which is to be exposed or closed by a reciprocable panel, and the top portion of the panel carries one or more slidable parts (e.g., in the form of runners) which extend into the guide rail from below and confine the panel to reciprocatory movements longitudinally of the rail. A runner is preferably selected in such a way that the friction between its external surface and the guide rail can be readily overcome without the exercise of a substantial effort. The desirability of such mounting will be readily appreciated by bearing in mind that the reciprocable panel of a kitchen cabinet, filing cabinet, door or closet must be reciprocated or is likely to require movement to open or closed position at frequent intervals. Friction between the slidable panel and the guide rail can rise to an undesirably high value if the panel is rather large and heavy.
Attempts to overcome the just discussed drawbacks of conventional assemblies for reciprocably suspending slidable panels from their supports include the provision of roller followers which are caused to extend into the guide rail and reduce friction when a relatively heavy and bulky panel is to be pushed or pulled between open and closed positions. Such roller followers are used in assemblies for the mounting of heavy outdoor panels which are to expose or close large openings in masonry walls and the like. It is not customary to employ roller followers indoors (e.g., in pieces of furniture) because experts in the relevant field share the opinion that an assembly which employs roller followers occupies too much space above the reciprocable panel.
Published German patent application Serial No. 22 06 447 discloses an assembly wherein a guide rail receives two pairs of rollers. The rollers of each pair are rotatable about a common horizontal axis, and such pairs of rollers are mounted on a carrier which, in turn, can swivel about a vertical axis.
Published German patent application Serial No. 19 60 037 discloses an assembly wherein a runner which extends into an overhead guide rail is provided with a substantially button-shaped downwardly extending enlargement which is anchored in the top portion of the reciprocable panel. The runner is held against lateral movements by extending into a substantially semicylindrical recess.
A drawback of the aforedescribed conventional assemblies is that they are expensive and that their installation in a reciprocable panel and in an overhead support takes up much time. Furthermore, presently known assemblies for indoor use cannot support relatively heavy slidable panels, e.g., doors weighing between 20 and 30 kg.